An amazing organization called, Global Fund for Children, (http://www.globalfundforchildren.org/) is trying to raise awareness for girls living in adverse conditions around the world through a program called Project RISE. In order to do so, they have started a photo contest and asked contestants to send in photographs of girls in their communities demonstrating resilience, courage and independence.

I first learned about GFC while living in Vietnam because they provided a grant to the organization that I was volunteering with in Ho Chi Minh City called Friends for Street Children (FFSC). One of the women in charge of the organization told me about GFC’s amazing grant support throughout the last ten years and explained to me exactly how the money was spent and how it directly impacted the lives of the students I taught every week.

My photo, the picture you see above, is picture I took in Cambodia and is one of 20 finalists. This photo was one of the most memorable sights of my time in Asia, exposing me to conditions and human suffering I will never forget. This girl in this photo lived in a floating village which held a horrifying literacy rate, unnaturally high children mortality rates and unimaginable sanitary conditions. To see an earlier post from that experience and read more about how it affected me click here: (https://gingermeetworld.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/asian-stranger/).